NBA Playoffs 2017: Isaiah Thomas leads Celtics onto court (Video)
By Ian O'Brien
Isaiah Thomas led his team onto the court for what will be an emotional game for the elite point guard.
The Boston Celtics have extra motivation to win their first playoff game tonight. Star point guard and MVP dark-horse candidate Isaiah Thomas dealt with an awful tragedy this Easter weekend. He lost his sister, Chyna, after her car collided with a sign post. The NBA point guard’s sister was only 22.
Thomas is clearly having a tough time dealing with a tragic loss, but he said that he still intends to play Game 1. The Celtics will face the Chicago Bulls and open their seven-game series at home. Thomas is certainly motivated to dedicate this game to his deceased sister. Here is a video of the All-Star point guard leading his team through the tunnel and onto the court.
The 28-year-old point guard has already drawn the support of Celtics fans, who have already chanted MVP for him. Thomas’ tragedy will certainly be remembered as a motivating factor if the Celtics can make an incredible playoff run.
Thomas already has plenty to be proud of, though, as he led the Celtics to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He also averaged a whopping 28.9 points per game while adding 5.9 assists a game. Thomas also set other career-highs such as 90.9 percent from the free-throw line and 46.3 percent from the field.
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The stats don’t tell the full story though. Thomas’ impact became instant for the Celtics since the Phoenix Suns sent him to Boston. Many analysts and fans picked the Celtics to finish second in the East. Most assumed that the Cleveland Cavaliers would defend their title by continuing their dominance. The Cavaliers’ cold finish enabled the Celtics to secure the No. 1 seed. The Celtics will also have home-court advantage throughout their road to the NBA Finals.